The Witch's Cat
by Echoflamexx
Summary: Cleopatra has been a dark witch's familiar for 6 moons, when she has a chance to escape to the life of a warrior, will she take it? Will she be accepted, or attacked? Maybe her powers will cause distress within the four clans. - Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

The pot's contents exploded in a ominous cloud of lavender mist as bolts of dark and light streamed from the fluid. I flattened my ears against the foul spray and twitched my whiskers in grim satisfaction. My master hunched over the cauldron and stared into the oozing substance with her beady lavender eyes, chanting spells and poems. The chaos subsided and the pot was left with an assuring purple mist, emitting from the surface of the jet-black goo that glooped and sploshed around in he cauldron on its own accord. My master shouted something that I understood as,

"Jars, quickly." I leaped off the stool, my feline body gracefully bounded to a cupboard and swung it open by gripping the knob in my teeth, then examined the contents on the dusty shelves.

Different spherical jars with corks sat on the wood, and I grabbed two in my steady jaws and then curled my tail around a third, lifting it easily. I delivered the items to her and she snatched them off me, then let the dubious mixture seep into the jars before fitting the corks.

"Well done Cleopatra, you earned your keep today..." she cackled, filling the air with painful splinters of sound. She flung a small trout onto the ground and I gratefully dug in, letting the fishy taste sink into my tongue before letting it slide down my throat.

My master waddled to her cellar to exceed in the dark arts of witchcraft, leaving me alone in the cottage, just how I like it.

Returning to the cupboard, I plucked a fourth vial from the selection and took it to the cauldron, where some goo was still smeared around the sides and pooled at the bottom of the stone. I ground the edge of the glass jar against the bottom of the cauldron, collecting the last morsels of gunk.

Once I was satisfied with the amount of potion I had scavenged, I lifted the cork and fit it securely on and then placed the vial in the satchel that was slung over my shoulder.

"A potion of the night phoenix, good for night vision, strength and the swiftness of paws. I recited, testing my collection of knowledge on the subject of chemistry.

I leaped onto the windowsill, staring out into the dark pine forest that encased and surrounded my Master's cottage.

Curiosity tugged at my fur and itched the purple, magic stained pads on my paws. However, it was not to be. I had never been allowed out since I was a newborn kit.

A shout, edged with horror, rang though the air and one of the slaves burst through the door to the cellar, and pushed the nearest window open, desperately trying to escape. I hissed and sprinted over, leaping onto his back and digging my claws deep down into his flesh. The twoleg let out a shout and managed to dislodge an arm from the tight wedge in the window frame, then whipping it around and whacked me off so I flew half-way across the room. Recovering quickly from the light daze, some empty shackles caught my eye and an idea stirred in my head. I chanted a spell, grabbing some red sandy substance from my satchel and scattering it onto the shackles.

"Cloud fly, stone shear, make this soul appear here!" I chanted, visualizing the slave chained up. His body disappeared from the window, where he had only just manage to squeeze through, and to his despair, he re-appeared in the shacks. I smirked in accomplishment, and at the moment my Master stole from her cellar, grimacing at the slave. I glanced at her in the vain hope of a reward, but she did nothing more than dragging the struggling bundle of skin and bone back down the stairs. I sighed, hopelessness eating into my soul.

I padded over to my bed and circled once or twice before lying down. Just as I was about to let the huge, black wave of sleep take my soul into unconsciousness, I realized something. Something that could change my life forever. The window must still be open.


	2. Chapter 2

The sharp, cold breeze ruffled my black-and-silver fur. Tall, threatening pines towered overhead, casting long shadows onto the floor littered with needles. The deep, inky black sky stretched far overhead, glittering stars strewn across the velvet darkness. And there, hooked up high, was the vast ball of glowing silver. The moon. I was transfixed upon it, the moon is what fuelled the power of witches, and not once since birth, had I ever laid my eyes upon it.

Eventually, I managed to wrench my gaze back to the forest. A gravel path twisted a clear route through the trees, obscured by the looming shadows. Rustles of tiny creatures echoed through the crisp air and pounded deep within my ear fur.

It hadn't taken a heartbeat to decide to leap out of the window into the open; I would probably be back before my Master noticed anyway. Drawing a huge breath of the fresh air, I slowly ventured out into the shadows.

The pine needles felt spongy underpaw, and the tantalising scents of prey swirled through the air. I paused for a heartbeat, savouring the luxury my senses were experiencing. I knew it wouldn't last.

A huge weight barrelled into my side and I was pinned, face-down, onto the muddy ground. Hissing in pure anger, I lashed out at my attacker, hitting nothing more than thin air.

"Kittypet!" The attacker snarled mockingly. "You're in Shadowclan territory!" I felt claws, sharp as needles, rake through the flesh on my back. Yowling in pain, I managed to dislodge one of his paws, and used his moment out of balance to my advantage. I twisted and snapped my jaws down a golden paw, sinking my fangs into the flesh. Hissing, he reared onto his back-paws and then I managed to slip out of his grip.

I spun around. The attacker was a golden tabby tom with a snow-white chest and ears. His eyes were vivid green, a slight aura emitting from the emerald orbs. The soft fur around his face betrayed his age; he appeared not to be much older than myself.

He seemed slightly taken aback by my appearance. My left eye was a mystic purple, stained from moons of practising the dark arts, as well as the twoleg satchel slung around my neck.

I started sprinting forward, toward this golden tom. I dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a flailing paw, then slashed my claws across his cheek. I darted past him, quickly grabbing a 'ball of sparks': an easy-crafted explosive that freed heavy smoke into the air, then hurled it at the floor. A bang rang through the air and a flash of white lit the slimy roots twisting into ground. Smoke buffeted up, and I quickly sprinted off toward my cottage.

As I arrived I couldn't help a sigh of relief that escaped my lips. _Who was that cat? His 'territory'? What's Shadowclan? _More and more questions swirled around in my head as I climbed back inside the window.

I froze. My master was standing in front of the window, watching me with her bird-like, insane lavender eyes.

"What did I tell you about trying to escape…?" She asked rhetorically, her voice lined with cackles and cracks. I felt my bottom lip quivering in fear. Her cloak was torn and ragged, her face a frame of pure fury. Her yellow-and-black teeth jutting out of her gums stuck from her mouth as her gave a massive, horrifying laugh.

"Come on! I won't hurt you Cleo! You know what happens to bad little animals don't you?" she shrieked, lunging toward me with a claw-like hand. I yowled in fear and leaped onto the floor, paws sliding on the loosely placed rug. I darted around desperately, now terrified of the person that gave me shelter since I was born. The witch knocked jars and trinkets of their surfaces, making them smash on the floor, scattering shards of sharp glass and china. The fire roared furiously in the fireplace, beaming heat into the room, making my pads sweat. She cornered me, grabbing a poker from the fireplace. The tip of the metal was glowing red. My breath caught it my throat as she swung it at me, excruciating pain shot down my spine like a bolt of lightning as it hit my flank. I yowled in pain, sprinting blindly around, running into walls and furniture. _The window! _I scrabbled back onto the window frame and leaped outside, relishing for a moment as the cold, soft grass cooled my sore paws. I sprinted to the nearest bush and crouched, ears up and eyes alert, although no more sounds erupted from the cottage. Only then did I realise how drowsy I was. Letting my legs collapse and my eyes shut. The last thing I heard was the insane cackling of the witches laugh ringing in my ears.


	3. Chapter 3

Cheerful songs from the early birds flowed around the forest. I blinked my eyes open, still only the brink of wakefulness. It took a moment to gain consciousness of my surroundings, though when I started to feel the cool, soft grass under-paw; the fresh summer breeze buffeting my fur and the lush, lavish green leaves obscuring my eyesight I nearly gasped in shock. Where was I?

Slowly, the events of the day before weaved themselves into my mind; experiencing the outside for the very first time, my loyal going insane, the strange wild-cat. All of the events seemed to have merged into a blur overnight. I widened my jaws into a broad yawn then stretched. I had already decided to try the forest again, but this time she wasn't going to run away with my tail between my legs. No, if I was met by hostility, I would fight, and not hesitate to use my powers. They couldn't have that much of a good reason to take every inch of the pine forest to themselves, right?

I wandered into the forest, alert for any scents or sound of living creatures. Fresh, green scents of many different plants wafted up to my nose and under that the musky warm smell of mouse. My mouth became pooled with saliva as I felt the tiresome tang of hunger in my stomach and thought with a sniff it would soon be satisfied. Dropping into a crouch that kept my weight mainly on my haunches, I pinpointed the small creature in the bracken, sending shivers up the canopy every time it moved. Deep within my ear fur, I heard the rapid pulsing of its tiny heart and the scuffling on its feet on the ground, completely unaware of the predator about to make it an evening meal. Bunching my muscles, I leaped, keeping my eyes on the unlucky target. It looked up at the last second and made a noble attempt to dive for its hole, but it was too slow. I pinned it to the earth with a lithe paw then snapped its spine with a quick jerk of my jaw.

Talking sounded though the skinny pines and my ears pricked. Thinking fast, I ducked backward into a bush and crouched, hoping my dark fur would conceal me from sight, scent I couldn't help. I managed it just in time. Three cats wandered past, laughing and talking.

"I didn't know Lavenderstar was THAT serious about making me a mentor! I thought she was joking!" a black one laughed,

"It was so funny, 'Buh-buh-buh- … What?'" A second ginger one imitated.

"I think you even got the elders laughing!" a third, white one giggled.

"C'mon guys, are you ever going to stop teasing me?"

"Nope!" two voices sounded in union.

"Wait guys, what's this?" I stiffened as they sniffed the dead mouse.

"A hunting patrol must have left it behind."

"You sure? It's too messily killed to be killed by a hunting patrol."

"Should we take it to camp?" the white warrior asked. The ginger one raised his head and drew in the air.

"This place stinks of kittypet."

"Ugh, worthless kittypets straying over the border."

"You two go on, I'll take a look around." I flattened my ears as the white cat spoke and other two warriors wandered away. She started parting bushes and glancing behind trees.

I slowly started crawling backward, but then my limbs froze as a sharp sound shot through the air. The snap of a twig. The attention of the warrior immediately locked onto me. Hissing, I unsheathed my claws, ready for a fight.

"Uh, kittypet? Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you, well, only if you do what I say." She spoke, her golden eyes softening. I didn't let my guard down.

"What do you want?" I hissed, trying to make my voice deeper and more threatening.

"You need to leave here, and go back to your oh-so-precious-twolegs." As she mentioned these 'twolegs' the pitch of her voice rose with scorn. Flattening my ears, I thought about running again; however then I remembered why I came in the first place.

"No." I regretted the words as soon as they past my lips. The warrior's eyes started blazing, her fur bushing and her claws unsheathing.

"And why not?" She snarled, suddenly hostile.

"I-I can't! There isn't a house to go back to anymore…" I stuttered, losing my threatening aura.

"Snowberry, what's the hold up? Trouble?" a warrior called, then the rest of the patrol appeared into the small clearing.

"It's just an abandoned kittypet. It doesn't pose any threat to us." 'Snowberry' explained, flicking her emerald-green eyes to look at them.

"Huh. You didn't chase it out?" The black one asked.

"I thought that … She could stay for a little while…" Snowberry hesitated before she spoke, dropping her head in embarrassment.

"So, kittypet, are you too much of a coward to come out into the open?" That comment flared anger inside of my chest. I pushed out the bush, head high and tail swaying.

"My name is Cleopatra, do NOT underestimate me."


End file.
